NTDC: 425 of the Nation’s Most Accomplished Truckers Vie to Become Grand Champion in Minneapolis

This story appears in the Aug. 6 print edition of Transport Topics.

Like any truck driver on top of his game, there are countless reasons why Daniel Norgaard, an independent owner-operator, looks forward to competing in the National Truck Driving Championships.

To begin with, there is the feeling of pride in being recognized as one of the best in the business, the pure enjoyment of swapping life experiences with other champions and the visceral rush of competing at the highest level.

Then there is the simple joy of getting behind the wheel of a shiny new tractor — one with all the bells and whistles about which many truck drivers often dream.

Norgaard’s regular truck is 5 years old.

“It’s a long-nose, which doesn’t even compare with the short-nose trucks they have nowadays,” said Norgaard, a 10-time state champion from North Carolina. “They turn a lot better, and you can see down. It’s a lot better.”

Norgaard is one of the 425 drivers who will test their driving skills at the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships, set for Aug. 7-11 in Minneapolis.

All but a few of the contestants placed first in their truck class at the 50 state driving championships and have been accident-free for at least 12 months prior to the competition. Several state champs could  not compete in the national contest.

The competition is rigorous. Drivers must pass a written exam to test their knowledge of truck safety and regulations and perform a pre-trip inspection of that truck to look for safety and equipment problems — some planted intentionally by the judges.

Participants also will be required to maneuver trucks on the floor of the convention center on very tight courses that vary by truck class.

The truck makers, dealers and motor carriers that provide tractors and trailers for the event will not only gain some good will for their assistance, but they also will get a little free advertising. The contest allows them to put their names on the equipment.

With the economy on the upswing a bit, this year is shaping up to be a relatively easy one to secure the tractors and trailers needed to stage the event, said Susan Chandler, executive director of ATA’s Safety Management Council.

At press time, there had been tractor commitments from manufacturers Freightliner Trucks, International Trucks, Mack Trucks Inc., Volvo Trucks North America and step-van maker Morgan Olson Corp.

For example, this year, Volvo and its supporting dealers will provide six trucks to the competition — two 6×4 day cabs, two high-rise sleepers and two 4×2 day cabs, said company spokesman Brandon Borgna. The trucks will come from dealer inventory, or directly from Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va.

However, single-axle trucks have been the most difficult to secure for use in this year’s competition.

“It’s a matter of demand,” Chand-ler said. “The single axle has a weight limit on the rear axle capacity and therefore is specific to certain routes and applications, like beverage haulers. What this means is they are usually built to order and dealers, if they have any ‘generic’ [trucks] on the lot it’s usually just one.”

Trailers used in this year’s driver skills tests will be loaned by Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., Con-way Inc., FedEx Corp., UPS Inc., Wal-Mart Stores, and Heil Trailers International Co.

Pre-trip equipment will come from motor carriers such as Con-way Freight, FedEx Express, Holland Trucking, Koch Trucking, Old Dominion Freight Line, Polar Express and YRC Freight, Chandler said.

Altogether, pre-trip equipment will comprise 14 tractors, 14 trailers, two straight trucks and two step vans. Equipment used for the course will comprise 14 tractors, 17 trailers, two straight trucks and two step vans.

It hasn’t always been easy to find the needed equipment for the event, she said.

“In the tough years, some manufacturers just couldn’t give me one because they didn’t have it, since people weren’t buying, and they weren’t producing as many,” Chand-ler said. “And the few that they were producing were sold.”

Another reason it has gotten a little easier to secure the equipment is because drivers, who in prior years were permitted to name their brand, no longer get to choose their make or model.

“Up until last year, drivers could pick their own equipment,” Chand-ler said. “So I would have a variety of equipment for each class with certain specs. Last year, we decided we would go the way most of the states do and pick a class of truck for each class.”

As a result, each of the nine classes in the driving championship gets two identical tractors to keep the playing field level, Chandler said.

Chandler admits that the lack of a choice is a bit of an irritant for some of the drivers, many of whom believe that certain brands are easier to maneuver than others. In fact, the brand of truck has become a frequent excuse — legitimate or not — for a poor showing in the competition, she said.

Chandler said that while the trucks on loan often used to come right off the assembly lines, event planners currently tend to work though truck dealers located near the event that have the right trucks on their lot.

Sometimes there are few available trucks in the vicinity of the event. In a recent contest in Florida, for example, many of the trucks had to be driven in from Georgia and parked at a local terminal prior to the event, Chandler said.

The vehicle and trailer requirements are stringent, and members of the NTDC committee inspect each piece of equipment a few days before the competition to ensure compliance with the rules.

The equipment suppliers are permitted to display advertising on their vehicles and trailers, but the ads must be attached directly to the vehicle surface and cannot interfere with the contestant’s view or create a distraction.

The providers are allowed to polish and lubricate their vehicles.

Since the focus of the competition is on driving skill, all safety warning devices on the vehicles must be rendered inoperative for the event.

The front wheel stops on vehicles may be adjusted to afford the shortest possible turning radius as long as no part of the steering mechanism touches either tire or any part of the frame.

Since the fire marshal does not allow full fuel tanks, the vehicles must be delivered to the competition with as close to 50 gallons of fuel as possible, and they must be carefully checked for leakage of air, water, oil or grease.

Providers are allowed — but not required — to have a mechanic on standby during the competition.

Brett Prow, rental manager for Nuss Truck and Equipment, Roseville, Minn., said his dealer, located about 15 minutes from the event’s venue at the Minneapolis Convention Center, is providing two identical Mack day cabs.

“If everything works out, I’ve got two trucks in my rental fleet that we just put in about five months ago,” Prow said. “If not, I’ll probably put two brand-new CXU day cabs in there.”

Prow said the trucks won’t get “beat up” during the competition because they’ll be traveling only about 20 miles — indoors.

Prow said his dealer will likely put a few of its decals on the trucks for some name recognition.

“We get some advertising, but we also do it because drivers from the fleets in the competition get an opportunity to try our product,” Prow said. “That way, down the road, they come up and purchase trucks.”